The field of the disclosure relates generally to gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to particle separators for turbomachines and method of enhancing particle removal in a turbomachine.
At least some known turbomachines, i.e., gas turbine engines, compress air via a plurality of rotatable compressor blades and ignite a fuel-air mixture in a combustor to generate combustion gases that are channeled through rotatable turbine blades via a hot gas path. Such known turbomachines convert thermal energy of the combustion gas stream to mechanical energy used to generate thrust and/or rotate a turbine shaft to power an aircraft. Output of the turbomachine may also be used to power a machine, for example, an electric generator, a compressor, or a pump.
Many of these known turbomachines include internal cooling air circuits for high temperature components. Air is drawn into the turbomachine during operation, channeled through the compressor, and into the cooling air circuits, thereby cooling selected components. Turbomachines frequently encounter conditions in which a high level of sand and/or particulate matter exists, such as in deserts and air-polluted regions. When sand and/or other particles enter the cooling air circuits, the particles accumulate. This accumulation of particles decreases the effectiveness of cooling the high temperature components, as cooling air is prevented from directly contacting surfaces of the high temperature components. Additionally, alteration of high temperature component geometry and/or reduction in cooling flow by the particles also decreases the effectiveness of cooling the high temperature components. As a result, the anticipated service life of turbine components may be shortened, thereby resulting in unplanned engine downtime and increased maintenance costs.